January 17-18, 2002

NOTICE OF INTENT††††††††††† Approval of Masters and Doctoral
Degrees in Toxicology; The University of Montana-Missoula

THAT:†††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† The Board of
Regents of Higher Education authorizes The University of Montana-Missoula to
initiate a masters and doctoral degree program in Toxicology.† The program builds on the expertise
developed as a result of the newly-approved Center for Environmental Health
Sciences and serves a need for additional trained scientists in this area.† No other program of this kind exists in the
State of Montana.† The proposed program
will require a bachelorís degree for entrance and will involve 30 credits of
post-baccalaureate study for the M.S. and 60 credits for the Ph.D. degree.†

EXPLANATION:††††††††††††††††† The University will offer a
Masters (M.S.) and Doctoral (Ph.D.) program in Toxicology within the Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the School of Pharmacy and Allied Health
Sciences.† Toxicology represents the
study of adverse health effects of xenobiotics (compounds foreign to
humans).† In the biomedical area,
toxicologists study the mechanisms of action and exposure to chemical agents as
a cause of acute and chronic illness.†
Toxicologists recognize, identify, and quantify hazards resulting from occupational
exposure to chemicals and the public health aspects of chemicals in air, water,
food, drugs, and other parts of the environment.† Toxicologists also research the discovery and development of new
drugs and pesticides.† At the molecular
level, toxicologists study mechanisms by which toxicants modulate cell growth
and differentiation.† Ultimately, many
of these studies lead to new therapeutic approaches.

The Center for
Environmental Health Sciences within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
will provide resources for establishment of these programs.† The Board of Regents approved this Center in
2000.† This new program represents a
unique strength in environmental health studies at The University of Montana,
utilizes the expertise of several new faculty, enhances research and research
funding, and serves a national need for masters- and doctoral-level individuals
in toxicology.

The completed
signature page resides on file at the Presidentís Office, The University of
Montana-Missoula.